Ukraine leader: Forces ‘helpless’ to restore order

Ukraine’s acting president conceded Wednesday that his police and security forces were “helpless” to stifle unrest in the country’s east, where pro-Russia gunmen seized more buildings, walking into the police station and mayor’s office in this mining hub without resistance.

Insurgents also took control of the customs-service building in Donetsk, the region’s main city, and city hall in Alchevsk, an industrial center of about 110,000, adding to the scores of buildings taken by the separatists over the past month in the east, where a dozen cities now are in the hands of the separatists.

Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov has twice proclaimed “anti-terrorist” operations to regain control of the east, but to little effect.